2018 SummerDocs Series Celebrates 10 Years!

In 2018, the Hamptons International Film Festival will celebrate the 10th Anniversary SummerDocs series!SummerDocs host (and HIFF Co-Chair) Alec Baldwin will once again lead conversations with filmmakers and guests, presenting new and groundbreaking documentary filmmaking and thought-provoking stories to the East End at Guild Hall of East Hampton.

In this anniversary year, the series will kick off with a screening of HBO’s ROBIN WILLIAMS: COME INSIDE MY MIND on Friday, June 29, at 7pm, followed by a conversation with director Marina Zenovich. On Saturday, July 21, at 7pm, director Dava Whisenant will join us for BATHTUBS OVER BROADWAY. The series will conclude with CHEF FLYNN on Saturday, August 25, at 7pm, with director Cameron Yates and celebrated chef Flynn McGarry scheduled to attend.

“We are excited to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our SummerDocs series with three dynamic films covering a variety of topics, including a legendary actor, forgotten Broadway musicals and a culinary prodigy. Over the last decade we have captivated audiences with some of the most incredible storytelling and know that our 10th anniversary continues that tradition,” said HIFF Co-Chairman and SummerDocs series presenter Alec Baldwin.

This year’s series is presented by Out East, a new real estate destination by StreetEasy. Read more about the films below.

Upcoming Screening

While many of his peers were still playing with toy cars, Flynn McGarry was creating remarkable gastronomic delights at his home in Studio City, California. Enjoying unwavering support from his mother Meg, an artist who documented every step of his distinctive journey, he devoted himself entirely to his creative passion. Flynn loved to prepare elaborate dinners for friends and family and soon became known as the “Teen Chef,” establishing his own supper club at age 12 and being featured in a New York Times Magazine cover story at age 15. Before he was 16, he had staged in top restaurants in Los Angeles, New York, and Europe. But critics soon emerged who challenged Flynn’s rapid ascent in the culinary world, threatening to distract him from his dream. Pairing Meg’s exhaustive home videos with intimate vérité footage, director Cameron Yates (The Canal Street Madam) creates a collage of Flynn’s singular focus and one-of-a-kind childhood. The result is a uniquely comprehensive portrait of a young star’s rise as seen from the inside.

Past Screenings

A funny, intimate and heartbreaking portrait of one of the world’s most beloved and inventive comedians, ROBIN WILLIAMS: COME INSIDE MY MIND takes us through his extraordinary life and career and reveals what drove him to give voice to the characters in his mind. Told largely by Robin himself, with a wealth of never-before-seen footage, and informed by in-depth interviews with those who loved and knew him, the film features Billy Crystal, Eric Idle, Whoopi Goldberg, David Letterman, Steve Martin, Pam Dawber, Zak Williams and many others. Directed by Marina Zenovich. Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind will premiere on HBO on Monday, July 16th.

When he started as a comedy writer for the LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, Steve Young had few interests outside of his day job. But while gathering material for a segment on the show, Steve stumbled onto a few vintage record albums that would change his life forever. Bizarre cast recordings—marked “internal use only”—revealed full-throated Broadway-style musical shows about some of the most recognizable corporations in America: General Electric, McDonald’s, Ford, DuPont, Xerox. Steve didn’t know much about musical theater, but these recordings delighted him in a way that nothing ever had. BATHTUBS OVER BROADWAY follows Steve Young on his quest to find all he can about this hidden world. While tracking down rare albums, unseen footage, composers and performers, Steve forms unlikely friendships and discovers how this discarded musical genre starring tractors and bathtubs was bigger than Broadway. With David Letterman, Chita Rivera, Martin Short, Florence Henderson, Susan Stroman, Jello Biafra and more.

In conversation: director Dava Whisenant

“Between our SummerDocs program and the outdoor Summer of Spielberg program at the Southampton Arts Center, our audiences will have much to choose from in the run up to our 26th edition,” said HIFF Artistic Director David Nugent.